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Former South Africa stalwart AB de Villiers has named former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif in his all-time World XI, revealed on the sidelines of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025.
Currently in England for the World Championship of Legends, where he represents the South African champions, De Villiers unveiled his all-time playing XI, which features both current and former players.
The 41-year-old started with an opening pair of compatriot Greame Smith and former Australia explosive batter Matthew Hayden.
He placed Australia legend Ricky Ponting at the crucial No. 03 spot and India batting icon Virat Kohli on the No. 04 position. Furthermore, he picked two more batters from the fabulous four, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, at No 05 and 06, respectively.
At No. 07, he picked India’s World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni as a wicket-keeper.
In the bowling lineup, he started with former Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson. Notably, he selected Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif, known for his swing bowling.
De Villiers faced Mohammad Asif, on couple of occasions and praise him for his outstanding bowling. The righ-arm pacer played for Pakistan in 23 Tests, 38 ODIs, and 11 T20Is
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Lastly, he included the legendary spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and late Shane Warne, with Glenn McGrath interestingly selected as a 12th man.
A day earlier, the batting maestro demonstrated his class against India Champions, propelling South Africa Champions to a comprehensive 88-run victory.
Put into bat first, South Africa posted an imposing total of 208 runs, thanks to AB de Villiers’ 61 off 31 balls, striking three fours and four maximums.
In pursuit of the target, India Champions could only manage to score 111-9 in 18.2 overs in a rain-affected game, eventually losing the fixture according to the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method.
AB De Villiers World XI
Graeme Smith, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, MS Dhoni, Mitchell Johnson, Mohammad Asif, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Shane Warne.
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